Theory and Application of a Deposition-Based Model for Predicting the Levels of Externally Generated Air Pollutants Inside Heritage Buildings

Nigel Blades & Declan Kruppa

Centre for Sustainable Heritage, University College London, United Kingdom

Externally generated air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and ozone damage objects in museums. Yet many museums cannot afford to monitor or actively control these gases. Innovative Modelling of Museum Pollutants and Conservation Thresholds ("IMPACT") is an EC funded project that is investigating how air pollutants react with materials and surface finishes in buildings. Based on this knowledge, the project is developing a model to predict indoor concentrations of externally generated pollutants. The IMPACT project has measured the deposition velocities of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone to a large range of materials that are typically found in museum buildings and is modelling the temperature and relative humidity dependence of the deposition velocity of gases which has hitherto been poorly understood. These data form an essential input to the deposition-based, model, which is being written as a JAVA applet and will be made freely available to users as a web-based tool. The IMPACT software tool will enable users to estimate the levels of air pollutants in their building based on the material surfaces in the building and the air change rate with the outside air.

The software tool will be part of a publicly accessible web site hosted on http://www.ucl.ac.uk/sustainableheritage that will help users interpret the results of modelling and suggest ways to improve control of air pollution.

The presentation given at IAQ2003 described the theoretical basis of the IMPACT model, the construction of the software tool for the non-specialist user and applications of the software. IMPACT is an interdisciplinary research project involving University College London, University of East Anglia, Norwegian Institute for Air Research, EMCEL Filters Ltd, National Museum of Krakow and Architecture Project, an architectural practice specializing in historic buildings in Malta.

References:
Blades, N., Kruppa, D. and Cassar, M., "Development of a Web-based software tool for predicting the occurrence and effect of air pollutants inside museum buildings". In ICOM Conservation Committee 13th Triennial Meeting, Rio de Janeiro. 2002; London: James & James; vol. 1, 9-14.

Part 2: Slides from presentation

Author to whom correspondence may be addressed:

Nigel Blades
UCL Centre for Sustainable Heritage
The Bartlett (Torrington Place Site)
University College London
Gower Street
London WC1EB 6
United Kingdom

E-mail: n.blades@ucl.ac.uk